Author's Note: Wow, over 2,000 words without my long winded author's notes to beef it up! How long has it been since that's happened? I'll be well on my way to 100,000 words if I keep this up! (Not really, I'm not aiming for a certain word count, though I'd be cool to join the 100,000 club I think~)
One more thing before you start reading: I got up in my feels when I was 3/4 of the way through writing this, so be warned~
But other than that - enjoy!
The first time Kisame had ever been sent to the principal's office was when he was in the fourth grade and would not stay in his seat, even after his teacher had given him multiple warnings on several occasions to do so. He just didn't see the point in sitting in a chair all day. To him it felt like punishment. And try as he might, one minute he was sitting, and the next he was on his feet trying to see what his friends across the room were doing.
"Kisame. Please remain seated." His teacher would say to him.
That was his first warning. And the first time that it happened, he immediately felt his face flush with embarrassment as his friends attempted to stifle their amusement.
"Kisame." His teacher sighed as this disruptive behavior continued. "How many times have I told you to stay in your seat?"
That was his second warning. Again, his friends would snicker, but so would Kisame. Not only had he gotten called out in front of the class again, but he had proven that he could get away with it.
"Kisame. If you continue to disrupt class, I am going to send you to the principal's office."
That was the third warning. This elicited a wave of wide eyed classmates and a chorus of quite "oohs" from all around him. And while Kisame had unlocked a new level of defiance, being sent to the principal's office was something that would result in a phone call home, and that was the most terrifying punishment of all and something that Kisame wanted to avoid.
And he managed to do so. For about a week.
Apparently, his teacher had become so frustrated with his insistence to rise from his seat that she no longer warned him to sit down and one day simply pointed to the door and said "To the principal's office." And when he did not move, she added a firm "NOW."
The walk of shame that resulted shortly thereafter was like nothing he had ever felt before. All around him, his classmates were staring, even though his teacher had hissed at them to get on with their work and to ignore Kisame and that they too would receive a free pass to the principal's office if they didn't comply. And over the short, two minute walk to the office, Kisame's head was filled with questions. What would he tell the principal? Would he have to say anything? Would his teacher call the principal and explain why he was being sent to the office? Would they know if he simply didn't go and wandered around the hallways for five or ten minutes? But the question that loomed over him like a storm cloud above his head was what would his mother say when she found out?
This wouldn't be the first time Kisame walked the walk of shame. But the more often he did so, the less he cared. Sure, his mother would yell and scream every time she got a call from the school saying that her son had earned yet another trip to the principal's office but after a while, he didn't care about that either. It was the same routine over and over again and it got old quickly.
But this was new. What did Itachi want to say to him? His kid brother – Sasuke, Kisame thought his name was – said that Itachi wasn't mad at him, but did the man ever get mad? Mad for Itachi could've meant several things. Would he calmly inform Kisame that he "no longer desired to share a living space with another human being" and that Kisame had a week to find a new place? Or would he tell him "you punched my brother and that is something I cannot overlook" in that quiet voice of his and then tell him that he had exactly a week from today to find another place to live?
He almost kicked him out once before when he was diagnosed with cancer. He could very well do it again now that Kisame harmed his only family.
Kisame didn't know what to expect but if he expected the worse, then whatever Itachi had to say couldn't be that bad, could it?
When he reached Itachi's hospital room, he slowly reached his hand to clasp the cool metal doorknob, closed his eyes and inhaled to steady his nerves. It was his first trip to the principal's office all over again. Upon exhaling, he twisted the knob and let himself inside.
Each step had a dizzying effect upon him. He punched Itachi's brother and now Itachi wanted to talk to him? On top of that, Sasuke nearly witnessed him trying to overdose in Itachi's kitchen. God knows whether or not he told Itachi about that. He probably did, because Kisame didn't fail to notice the absence of the headache medication he intended to end his life with yesterday. What more was there to say? "I forgive you for protecting my apartment from my brother?" Fat chance.
When Kisame finally rounded the corner of the sky blue curtain that divided the room into halves, he halted in his tracks. Itachi's bed was reclined so that he was sitting up, yet lying down at the same time. His head was tilted to the side and his hair was free from its usual ponytail and cascaded over his left shoulder in stringy ribbons against the steady rising and falling of his chest.
And Kisame was afraid of this man because…? He was helpless!
"Maybe I should come back…" Kisame whispered to himself and turned on his heel to head out.
"Oh, you're here." Itachi breathed.
Kisame froze and slowly turned to face him. Itachi was still lying against the hospital linens draping the bed and attempted to blink the sleep out of his eyes. "I can come back if you want me to—" Kisame attempted to say.
Itachi yawned and shook his head. "No, stay. I want to talk to you about some things."
Kisame opened his mouth to say "It can wait, can't it?" but he didn't even know what Itachi wanted to say to him. For all he knew, Itachi was kicking him out and that was something that surely could not wait. "Are you up to it?" He finally settled upon.
Itachi nodded with closed eyes.
Kisame nodded in understanding and pulled a chair up to the side of Itachi's hospital bed.
"I'm sorry for not informing you that my brother had a key to my apartment. Had I told you sooner—"
"Wait, why are you the one who's apologizing?" Kisame interrupted.
Itachi opened his eyes and blinked a few times, his facial expression gradually morphing from one of fatigue to steadily growing confusion.
"I should be the one to apologize." Kisame sighed. "I didn't look to see who it was first and a big guy like me has a pretty good chance of taking down anyone who threatens to rob you blind but I didn't. I guess…well first of all, I wasn't really dressed appropriately—"
"I heard."
Kisame pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah. The odds would not bode well for me if a potential attacker was armed." He laughed. And to his surprised, Itachi chuckled slightly too. "Anyways, you don't need to apologize for anything. I should've looked to see who it was before throwing any punches."
Itachi smiled slightly and shook his head. "It's fine. It was an accident and you didn't know. Besides, I've always warned Sasuke that his words and actions would cause him harm if he didn't watch himself. Hopefully this will reinforce what I've been telling him all of these years."
Kisame slowly nodded and glanced to see if Itachi's current facial expression could give him a clue as to what the Uchiha would say or do next. It didn't. Itachi remained silent and poker faced as if waiting for Kisame to continue speaking. Although Kisame already plead his case, he couldn't help but add "And I understand if you want me to find someplace else to go."
"Kisame." Itachi started.
If you continue to disrupt class, I am going to send you to the principal's office. Kisame swallowed to dislodge the growing mass in the back of his throat.
"What?" Kisame asked.
And to his surprised, the corner of Itachi's mouth quirked upwards in the tiniest of smiles. "I'm not going to force you out onto the street for something you did by accident. Sasuke is fine and the discoloration will fade within a few weeks' time. Until then, there is nothing the correct shade of foundation cannot fix."
How was he so cool about this? Was it the chemo drugs? If so, Kisame wanted a taste so that he could possess even an ounce of Itachi's calm and collected demeanor regarding the situation. "What exactly did your brother tell you?"
Itachi's dark pupils drifted to the left as he attempted to recall what Sasuke had said to him the other day. "He said that my psychopathic roommate gave him a black eye and was clad in only his boxer shorts." Itachi said. "He also mentioned that you kept saying that you thought that he was a burglar and that you apologized profusely after realizing your errors."
"Really?"
Itachi nodded. "Loosely paraphrased, but yes. I assume that lines up pretty accurately with your side of the story?"
"More or less." Kisame shrugged. He would have substituted the bit about the psychotic roommate wearing his boxers for a handsome stud wearing a pair of athletic shorts but that was neither here nor there.
"Are you still interested in pursuing a career in mechanical engineering?" Itachi asked all of a sudden. He seemed to pick up on that from Kisame's look of confusion and added "Sorry to change the subject but this was something else that I wanted to discuss with you."
Kisame sighed and scratched the outer edge of his ear. "I can't. When I tried to apply to different repair shops they all told me that I lacked the necessary certification needed to work for them."
"If I remember correctly, the first day I met with you in person, you told me that you would need to take classes in order to achieve the qualifications that you lack, correct?"
Kisame nodded and remembered to use his words like his teachers used to tell him all the time. "Yeah." Though a firm "yes" would've been more appropriate considering that he was talking to Itachi who was like the boss of his life right now it seemed…
"Have you looked into that at all?"
"No, I haven't. Why?" Kisame asked.
Itachi shifted slightly in his bed, causing his pillow to slip slightly. But when Kisame moved to reposition it for him and maybe fluff it if need be, Itachi uttered a quiet "No thanks, I can manage by myself" and reached behind him to push it back to where it had been just a few seconds ago. "If you're still interested in pursuing a career in mechanical engineering, and you would be willing to take the classes necessary to earn those qualifications, I would be willing to let you stay with me rent free."
I would be willing to let you stay with me rent free.
I would be willing. To let you stay with me. Rent Free.
Rent free.
"Just until you've earned your qualifications and no longer than that." He elaborated.
Rent. Free.
No matter how many times Kisame repeated those very words inside his head, he couldn't bring himself to believe that what was happening was true. Maybe he really did overdose yesterday and this was a drug induced hallucination?
"Kisame? Kisame?"
"Sorry." Kisame said but still entertained the thought that he was possibly dying in an ambulance right now and that the place where he was going was definitely free of rent. "Why would you do that for me? You barely know me."
"You're right. I don't know you very well. But in the small amount of time that I have known you, you've proven to me that you are somebody who can be trusted. You strike me as a man who's led a very hard life who deserves a break for once and I'm willing to give you one."
"But why, Itachi? Why would you do that for somebody like me? I tri—" I tried to kill myself in your kitchen yesterday afternoon, he caught himself from saying. "I don't deserve such kindness."
"I insist."
Kisame clenched his fists in his lap. "But why me?"
"Because I trust you."
Because I trust you.
I. Trust. You.
Kisame ran a hand through his messy hair. He was definitely dying in an ambulance somewhere right now. He had to be. It explained why his chest felt tight, why his stomach constricted, and why it seemed to be getting harder and harder to breathe. "There has to be a catch."
Itachi nodded.
"I knew it. I knew that this was too good to be true." He muttered to himself.
"I will not kick you out." Itachi spoke, calmly as clearly as he had been this whole time. "And if you wish to pursue classes in mechanical engineering, I will allow you to live with me rent free."
Kisame exhaled carefully, as if the smallest breath would cause the deal to be taken off the table completely and glanced up to meet Itachi's bottomless irises.
"On the basis that you will not exceed the prescribed amount of any medicine bottles while living under my roof, do I make myself clear?"
Of course Sasuke told him about that. "Crystal." Kisame nodded, finally able to breathe normally again.
And with that, Itachi closed his eyes and allowed his shoulders to slump slightly as he relaxed against the bed. "Good. I never want to hear that you were about to take your life over something as small as an accident." He said, opening his eyes again. "If you're so worried that I will kick you out, do not hesitate to talk to me about it. I'll listen."
I'll listen. Kisame seldom heard those words uttered to him before. And it felt good to hear them.
Kisame smiled at Itachi only to find that he had closed his eyes once more and appeared to be drifting off to sleep if the steady rising and falling of his chest was anything to go by. "If that's all, I guess I'll take my leave and let you rest."
"Will you look into those classes?" Itachi asked.
Kisame nodded and remembered to verbally respond "I will."
"Good. Let me know what you find so we can work out the details. I can't allow you to live with me rent free without proof that you are actually taking classes. Understood?"
"Understood."
-8-8-8-
"What did the principal have to say when you arrived at her office, Kisame?" His teacher asked in a whisper so that his classmates wouldn't overhear.
"She said to listen to my teacher and that getting up out of my seat was distracting to my classmates." Kisame told her.
His teacher smiled and gently patted him on the back. "Remember that, okay? You're a good kid, Kisame."
Sweet Jesus that was full of feels! But they were necessary feels! I hope you all have a good night/rest of the day and know that I have no idea where to go next! :D
****To The Secret Sal: Have you reached your emotional/pain threshold yet? ;P (check the end of chapter 32 - I updated it to include a special shoutout just for you!)
****To Mocho: If this chapter made you cry, I'm sorry! (But I warned y'all!)
****To Esparia: Keep the hugs coming! Kisame's gonna need 'em!
****To AbsoluteAnarchy: Are you happy with what Itachi had to say to Kisame~?
****To everyone else who gives me lovely reviews that didn't contain anything specific the last time around for me to outwardly comment on - thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Your words are greatly appreciated!
Until next time!
~Sasori33-001